Our husbands are great. They work hard to provide for the family and often carry the financial burden of meeting everyday expenses. Yet the thing that often gets overlooked is their health. Men are usually the last person to recognise when they are suffering from poor
health and need a medical check. The current statistics support this with over one-quarter of Aussie men between 15-44 years not having regular health checks1.
Yet thousands of Australian men die unnecessarily every year from health conditions that could have been prevented if they are detected early enough. For example, compared with women, men are up to three times more likely to die of coronary heart disease, twice as likely to die of skin cancer and other types of cancer, and three times more likely to commit suicide2. So what are some warning signs that our husbands might be suffering from poor health?
Health Warning Signs
- Tired all the time
- Loud snoring with stopping breathing while sleeping
- Not sleeping well
- Low mood
- Very irritable and/or aggressive
- Abdominal weight gain
- Sore joints
- Skin irritations like unexplained rashes
- Lack of interest in sex
- Change in appetite (either increased or decreased)
- Frequent urination
- Chest pains
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating at night
- Excessive thirst
- Change in bowel habit or abdominal pains
When Should Hubby Have a Check-Up?
If your hubby has any of the above symptoms or if he is a smoker, a heavy drinker, or has a strong family history of any medical conditions like cancer, thyroid conditions, diabetes, or heart disease then consider encouraging him to have a medical check. In addition to a standard medical check-up a nutritional medicine consultation takes this one step further and ensures that hubby’s health is optimised including his hormone levels, metabolism and energy, and vitamin and mineral levels. This completes the picture of preventative medicine.
Hopefully with some gentle encouragement (or maybe some strong words!) we can help our Hubby’s to be in tip-top shape. After all what would we do without them?
By Dr Cris Beer
Holistic Medical Practitioner @ The Medical Sanctuary
1 – Living in Australia. Health, Lifestyle and Living Situation. http://www.livinginaustralia.org/results/lifestyle.html (accessed 27 March 2014)
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics. Men’S Health. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features30Jun+2010 (accessed 27 March 2014).
3 – Better Health Channel. Men’s Health. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/men’s_health?open (accessed 27 March 2014)
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